Beauty Confidential: What They Packed for Paris

With oversize baggage fees, carry-on restrictions, and the generally petite proportions of French powder rooms, choosing which beauty essentials to bring along for Fashion Week is as much a mission as packing a seven-day wardrobe. Two fresh-faced stylists open their hotel rooms to Vogue.

Expand

Photographed by Emily Weiss

“I think I bring more cosmetics than I do clothes,” admits London-based Caroline Sieber. Indeed, her washbasin at the Hôtel Duc de Saint-Simon looks less like a home-away-from-home and more like a counter at Space NK, one of her favorite beauty destinations. “I take everything,” she deadpans.

That said, Sieber has whittled down her a.m. routine to just 25 minutes, including a bath, “with body oil and a few drops of Chanel No. 5—I also put the scent on my feet and the backs of my knees, and it travels upwards.” She multitasks while soaking with a facial mask (either Dr. Sebagh Deep Exfoliating or Sisley Masque Eclat Express) and an eye treatment (Guerlain Super Aqua Eye soothing patches). A creature of habit, Sieber credits Bumble and Bumble Brilliantine as “the only hair product I’ve used in ten years.”

Expand

Photographed by Emily Weiss

A true beauty aficionado, Sieber diligently consults the reviews on MakeupAlley.com before making any new purchases, and indeed, the contents of her Henri Bendel makeup bag are carefully curated: “Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder is just a setting powder, but it kind of melts into your skin and has a slight shimmer to it—I put it on top of whatever I’m wearing, along with a dab of Jemma Kidd Dewy Glow All Over Radiance Crème.” She eradicates any sign of fatigue with Givenchy Mister Light Instant Light Corrective Pen, which “is like YSL Touche Éclat but has more coverage.” She keeps Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof eyeliner in Cassis #83, a purple-tinged black, in heavy rotation, as well as eight tubes of lipstick, all pinks: “I love Tom Ford’s Pink Dusk, and I have lots of Chanel colors. Lipstick is about the only thing I carry around. That, and my credit card.”

Expand

Photographed by Emily Weiss

Having your own imperial bathroom in the Hôtel de Crillon is one thing; occupying a suite in said hotel, filled with incredible shoes, is another. Tabitha Simmons has both. Simmons, a shoe designer and Vogue Contributing Editor, is presenting her Fall 2011 collection this week, and sleeping in an adjacent chambre. She’s got her hands full, so it’s only fitting that her first stop en route to Paris was a :10 Minute Manicure at JFK airport. “You’ve got loads of time because you’re waiting for your flight—it’s much easier, rather than having to take time out of your day,” she says. “I bring my favorite red, Lover by Dolce & Gabbana.”

For her skin, Simmons packs Dr. Orentreich’s sensitive skin cleanser from her dermatologist in New York, and Valmont Renewing Pack cream, which she discovered on a previous Paris trip, during “the best facial I’ve ever had, at the Meurice just around the corner.” Both products are crucial inclusions, since, she says, “You can’t just nip into a shop if you forget them.” She’s more lax when it comes to hairbrushes: “I always forget them, so now I’ve accumulated a million. My grandmother said I’d never get a husband if I didn’t brush my hair!” says Simmons, now married to photographer Craig McDean. She relies on John Frieda Root Awakening Shampoo, and alternates between conditioners from Frédéric Fekkai and Terax. “I find that it’s good to switch between two conditioners, so that your hair doesn’t get too used to it,” she says. Her true staple, though, is Salon Graphix’s Invisible Dry Spray Shampoo. “Very, very important. I’m working so much when I’m traveling, that it’s a lifesaver.”

Expand

Photographed by Emily Weiss

Simmons’ makeup is minimal, but she’s definitely picked up a thing or two from the pros. “I use Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour cream on my lips and on my eyelids—I totally copied it off Pat; she’s clever, that Pat McGrath.” A Dolce & Gabbana powder compact is always in her bag, as is her signature scent: Estée Lauder Private Collection. “I love that stuff; it’s always with me. I carry around that bottle…the full-size bottle!”